Malai Marhani binti Sheikh Mahmud was his mother, and his father was Othman bin Pehin Orang Kaya Perdana Indera Mohammad Jair,[3] a schoolteacher.

[5] The Government of Brunei recognised his academic excellence and gave him a scholarship to study at the Kolej Islam Malaya, and then at the Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah.

[6] Before beginning a career in Islamic Studies at esteemed Malaysian institutions, he had been active in the Brunei People's Party (PRB) movement as its Middle East spokesperson.

[11] Mahmud Saedon began his career at the National University of Malaysia (UKM) from 1976 to 1983, and worked as a lecturer in the Faculty of Islamic Studies until 1983, at this time he was not allowed to return to Brunei because of his association with PRB.

[13] A group headed by Mahmud Saedon and named the Jawatankuasa Penggubalan Undang-Undang Keluarga lslam (Islamic Family Law Drafting Committee) was established in 1995 with approval from Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

[7] After working for eighteen years at Malaysian higher education institutions, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah consented to his return to Brunei in 1994,[7] and was promptly appointed by the government to the dual positions of Ministry of Religious Affairs' (MORA) Director of the Unit on Islamic Law and Expert in Islamic Jurisprudence from 1998 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2002.

[4] In March 2023, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) held a ceremony to officially open the Mahmud Saedon Law Collection Room in conjunction with the observance of World Book Day in 2023.